2012 Tour de France - One Week Down, Two Remaining

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2012 Tour de France - One Week Down, Two Remaining

Now things are starting to get interesting. Roadcycling.com's 2012 Tour de France analysis continues.

as Froome is with Sky, Wiggins will always be their leader.

Stage 8 saw a gutsy solo win by FDJ-Big Mat's Thibaut Pinot. With 17 kilometers left of the stage the Frenchman passed the on the road leader Frederik Kessiakoff (Astana) and kept on rolling to the finish.

The peloton chased, but with three kilometers to the finish in Porrentruy it was apparent that the victory would be Pinot's. His team director was in the back seat of the team car yelling at him at the top of his lungs. He looked like a dog with its head out a car window barking at everything on the street.

It was a well-deserved victory for Pinot, but the excitement turned up another notch at the post-stage press conference.

Team Sky has put in some dominating performances leaving some journalists comparing them to the US Postal Service and I think we all know what that means ...

At the obligatory post-stage press conference Wiggins was asked about that comparison - he did not take that question lightly. He blasted anonymous Twitter accounts which he said, "sit under a pseudonym on Twitter rather than get off their arses in their own life and apply themselves and work hard at something and achieve something, and that's ultimately it. C%#@s!"

Of course this set Twitter alight. First people were shocked at the use of the C-Bomb. In the States that word is one that rates high on the never, ever say list. To utter that in a press conference was quite the shocker. The public was looking for Wiggins to say something a little more eloquent or at least with less curse words to refute any allegations of team doping.

Let's remember Wiggins has been racing for eight days and has been under a microscope before the Tour de France started. Yeah, he could have chosen some of his words better, but I challenge anyone to say something in a more reserved tone when asked a question that was clearly designed to hit a nerve. But Wiggins didn't do himself any favors by supporting Lance Armstrong, someone who is under investigation by USADA. It seems to go against his transparency motto.

Another topic where Wiggins hit a nerve was in his reference to anonymous Twitter accounts. There are several anonymous accounts out in the Twittersphere. To be honest I was very dubious of some these. By not using their real name they have no accountability - a major problem for journalists. They could spread any half-baked rumor they wanted and it could grab hold as "truth" to some people.

However, anonymous sources have been an important part of breaking stories - Deep Throat anyone? I have gotten to know some anonymous accounts and respect what they do, and there are others that I don't consider a source for anything more than a laugh. Wiggins needs to realize that and get a thicker skin. And a little more media training. He knows the very recent history of professional cycling and he can't lash out like a cornered animal